Dr. Octagon/Kool Keith

When: Wed., March 19, 9 p.m. 2008Price: $16

Of all the personae created by rapper Kool
Keith -- the sci-fi doo-wop caricature Black Elvis, the Marvel villain spinoff
Dr. Doom, and the shark-alligator mutant Mr. Gerbik,
not to mention his early-career aliases Dr. Sperm and Big Willie Smith -- he is
most beloved for inventing Dr. Octagon,
a deranged gynecologist from outer space who trysts with his patients. Unsavory
as he sounds, Dr. Octagon garnered wide critical acclaim with his 1996 debut, Dr. Octagonecologyst,
a work of acid rap genius characterized by its sluggish electric baselines,
stream-of-consciousness lyrics, smeary studio effects, and dry orchestration.
Dr. Octagon is perhaps the most cerebral alter ego to emerge in hip-hop, even
though his rhymes got so twisted and perverted (shifting from sex on the
examination table to masturbating apes) that they rivaled the raps of Too
$hort. He performs Wednesday, March 19 at Mezzanine
(444 Jessie St., San Francisco), alongside Richie Cunning
and Machete Vox. 9 p.m., $16. MezzanineSF.com